U.S. patent number 7,360,701 [Application Number 11/089,919] was granted by the patent office on 2008-04-22 for managing maintenance of serviceable items based on unique identification labeling.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ecolab Inc.. Invention is credited to Bernhard Meyer, Cemal Sagnak.
United States Patent |
7,360,701 |
Sagnak , et al. |
April 22, 2008 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Managing maintenance of serviceable items based on unique
identification labeling
Abstract
A system and method for tracking and managing maintenance of
serviceable items based on unique identification labeling affixed
to the items is disclosed. The serviceable items are described as
filters within a common environment that require routine
maintenance to adhere to certain expectations relative to the
operability of the items. Such operability may relate to any type
of filtering of contaminants from a liquid or gaseous substance
that flows through the filters. A unique identifier (ID) label is
affixed to each filter. The unique ID label represents a unique
filter ID that uniquely identifies the filter relative to all other
filters in the common environment. A handheld computing device
communicatively connected to a local computer reads the unique ID
label of each filter following maintenance of the filter to track
maintenance of the filters over time.
Inventors: |
Sagnak; Cemal (Erkelenz,
DE), Meyer; Bernhard (Mettmann, DE) |
Assignee: |
Ecolab Inc. (St. Paul,
MN)
|
Family
ID: |
37036303 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/089,919 |
Filed: |
March 24, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20060217995 A1 |
Sep 28, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
235/385;
235/472.01; 235/462.01; 235/383; 235/375 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
10/20 (20130101); G06Q 10/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
19/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;235/375,376,383,462.01,472.01,451,492,385 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Paik; Steven S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Shumaker & Sieffert, P.A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method comprising: reading a first unique identifier
associated with a serviceable item in response to maintenance being
performed on the serviceable item; reading a second unique
identifier associated with a host associated with the serviceable
item; storing the first unique identifier in a data structure in
association with a time reference indicating at least a calendar
date that the first unique identifier was read; storing the second
unique identifier in the data structure in association with the
first unique identifier and the time reference; and generating a
report characterizing maintenance of the serviceable item based on
the time reference.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: uploading the data
structure to a local computing system, wherein generating a report
comprises generating a report characterizing maintenance of the
serviceable item at the local computing system.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein reading a first unique identifier
comprises reading a first unique identifier associated with a
filter that filters contaminants from a substance.
4. The method of as claim 3, wherein reading a first unique
identifier comprises reading a first unique identifier associated
with a filter that filters contaminants from a fluid.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein reading a first unique identifier
comprises reading a first unique identifier associated with a
filter that filters contaminants from a gas.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a target
time reference representing a maximum service interval for the
serviceable item; and analyzing the time reference stored in
association with the first unique identifier against the target
time reference to determine whether maintenance for the serviceable
item is overdue.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating a report further
includes adding a notation on the report that the first serviceable
item is overdue for maintenance.
8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: notifying a field
service person when the serviceable item is overdue for
maintenance.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising electronically
initiating contact with the field service person when the
serviceable item is overdue for maintenance.
10. The method of as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
uploading the data structure to a remote computer for storage and
analysis.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating a report comprises
generating a report characterizing maintenance of the serviceable
item at the remote computer.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: uploading the data
structure to a remote computer; at the remote computer, determining
a target time reference representing a maximum service interval for
the serviceable item; at the remote computer, analyzing the time
reference stored in association with the first and the second
unique identifiers against the target time reference to determine
whether maintenance for the serviceable item is overdue; and
automatically generating an electronic notification to a field
service person based on the analysis.
13. A method comprising: reading a first unique identifier
associated with a serviceable item; storing the first unique
identifier in a data structure in association with a time reference
indicating at least a calendar date that the first unique
identifier was read; reading a second unique identifier associated
with a host associated with the serviceable item; storing the
second unique identifier in the data structure in association with
the first unique identifier and the time reference; determining a
target time reference representing a maximum service interval for
the serviceable item; and analyzing the time reference stored in
association with the unique identifier against the target time
reference to determine whether maintenance For the serviceable item
is overdue.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: automatically
generating an electronic notification to a field service person
when the serviceable item is overdue for maintenance.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein reading and storing the unique
identifier farther comprise: reading the first unique identifier
associated with a serviceable item using a handheld computing
system; storing the first unique identifier in a data structure
within the handheld computing system, and wherein the method
further comprises uploading the data structure from the handheld
computing system to a local computing system.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a message
on the local computer system that the serviceable item is overdue
for maintenance.
17. The method of claim 13, further comprising: generating a report
characterizing maintenance of the serviceable item based on the
associated time reference.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: uploading the data
structure to a remote computer for storage and analysis.
19. A system comprising: a plurality of unique identification
labels each representing a unique identifier (ID), each of a
plurality of serviceable items having one of the plurality of
unique identification labels affixed thereto, wherein a first group
of the plurality of serviceable items are located at a first
environment and a second group of the plurality of serviceable
items are located at a second environment; a handheld computing
device that reads each of the plurality of unique identification
labels to obtain each of the unique ID's from the plurality of
serviceable items and associates each unique ID with a time
reference indicating at least a calendar date that each unique ID
was read; a local computer that receives the unique ID's from the
handheld computing device and generates a report characterizing
maintenance of the plurality of serviceable items based on the
associated time references, wherein the report includes comparisons
between maintenance practices at the first environment and the
second environment.
20. The system of claim 19, further comprising: a remote computer
that receives the unique ID's and the associated time references
from the local computer and generates a report characterizing
maintenance of the plurality of serviceable items based on the
associated time references.
21. The system of claim 19, wherein the local computer further
determines a target time reference representing a maximum service
interval for the each of the plurality of serviceable items,
analyzes the time references associated with each of the unique
ID's against the target time reference and, based on the analysis,
automatically generates a notification to a filed service person
that one or more of the serviceable items are overdue for
maintenance.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to tracking maintenance of
serviceable items, and more particularly to administering
maintenance tracking based on unique identification labeling
affixed to the items.
BACKGROUND
Ever since the breakout of Legionnaires disease at the
Bellevue-Statford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1976, hotels and
hospitals across the world have been equipping shower and faucet
heads with filters that are intended to mitigate, if not completely
prevent the spread of, this atrocious disease within these public
settings. In operation, these filters effectively block legionella
bacteria as well as other contaminants from being dispensed from
taps from which water is typically intended for human use. Over
time, as one may guess, these filters collect quite an abundance of
bacteria and other deposits and therefore require routine
disinfection or possibly even replacement in order to meet certain
governing health codes.
Previously, maintenance of a water tap filter involved a field
service person first removing the filter from the associated water
tap and cleaning the filter thoroughly to remove any bacteria and
other deposits collected thereon. Once cleaned, the field service
person inserted the filter back into the water tap. Alternatively,
single use filters were exchanged. The date on which the service
was performed in either case was recorded manually. Unfortunately,
such manual recordation was implemented using pen and paper, or
some equivalent, and consequently, these records were oftentimes
misplaced if simply not kept accurate due to faulty recordation by
the field service persons. As such, many filters would go way
beyond the maximum service period and, quite frankly, at that point
in time were completely ineffective to block legionella bacteria
and other contaminants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the above and other
problems are solved by a method and system for tracking maintenance
of a plurality of serviceable items based on unique identification
labeling affixed to the items. Exemplary serviceable items include
filters that require routine maintenance to adhere to certain
expectations relative to the operability of the items. Such
operability may relate to any type of filtering of contaminants
from a liquid or gaseous substance that flows through the filter.
For example-, the filters may be water filters operable to prevent
contaminants from flowing through water taps and beverage (e.g.,
beer, wine, soft drinks and juices) filters used to prevent
contaminants from flowing through beverage taps.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method
that involves reading first and second unique identifiers
associated with first and second serviceable items, respectively,
in response to maintenance being performed on the first and second
serviceable items. The first unique identifier is stored in a data
structure in association with a first time reference indicating at
least a calendar date that the first unique identifier was read.
Likewise, the second unique identifier is stored in a data
structure in association with a second time reference indicating at
least a calendar date that the second unique identifier was read.
With this information, the method involves generating a report
characterizing maintenance of the first serviceable item based on
the first time reference and the second serviceable item based on
the second time reference.
In accordance with another embodiment, a method according to the
present invention involves reading a unique identifier associated
with a serviceable item in response to maintenance being performed
on the serviceable item and storing the unique identifier in a data
structure in association with a time reference indicating at least
a calendar date that the unique identifier was read. In this
embodiment, the method includes determining a target time reference
representing a maximum service interval for the serviceable item
and analyzing the time reference stored in association with the
unique identifier against the target time reference to determine
whether maintenance for the serviceable item is overdue. If so, the
method further includes notifying a responsible field service
person that the serviceable item is overdue for maintenance by
electronically initiating contact with the responsible field
service person.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a
system for tracking maintenance of a plurality of serviceable
items. In this embodiment, the system includes a plurality of
unique identification labels affixed to each of the plurality of
serviceable items. Each unique identification label represents a
unique identifier (ID). The system further includes a handheld
computing device that is operable to read each of the plurality of
unique identification labels from the plurality of serviceable
items in order to identify therefrom the represented unique ID's.
In response to reading a unique filter ID, the handheld computing
device associates the identified unique ID with a time reference
indicating at least a calendar date that the unique ID was read.
The exact location of the serviceable items is entered into the
computing device at the time the identification label is read. The
system also includes a local computer that is communicatively
connected to the handheld computing device. The local computer
receives the identified unique ID's and corresponding location from
the handheld computing device and generates therefrom a report
characterizing maintenance of the plurality of serviceable items
based on the associated time references. The computer also
generates an alarm at the next determined service date.
The invention may be implemented as a computer process, a computing
system or as an article of manufacture such as a solid state,
non-volatile memory device or a computer program product or
computer readable media. The computer program product may be a
computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a
computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a
carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer
program of instructions for executing a computer process.
These and various other features as well as advantages, which
characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading
of the following detailed description and a review of the
associated drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a filter-based environment in which the present
invention is practiced in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a system for tracking maintenance of filters in the
environment of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary communications network wherein the
tracking system of FIG. 2 is connected to a server computer in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 depicts a general-purpose computer that implements logical
operations of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that illustrates operational
characteristics for tracking maintenance of filters in the
environment of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates operational
characteristics for managing filter maintenance in the environment
of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention and its various embodiments are described in
detail below with reference to the figures. When referring to the
figures, like structures and elements shown throughout are
indicated with like reference numerals. Objects and structures
depicted in the figures that are covered by another object, as well
as the reference annotations thereto, are shown using dashed
lines.
In general, the present invention relates to tracking and managing
maintenance of serviceable items based on unique identification
labeling affixed to the items. In accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the serviceable items include filters that require
routine maintenance to adhere to certain expectations relative to
operability of the items. Such operability may relate to any type
of filtering of contaminants from a liquid or gaseous substance
that flow through the filters. In order to illustrate various
embodiments of the present invention, these filters are described
herein as water filters operable to prevent contaminants from
flowing through water taps.
With this exemplary embodiment in mind, FIG. 1 illustrates an
environment 100 in which the present invention is particularly
applicable to track and manage maintenance of water taps 101 in the
form of a conventional showerhead. For illustration purposes, only
one showerhead 101 is shown in FIG. 1, however, it should be
appreciated that this environment 100 represents any setting that
may include any number of showerheads 101 in accordance with
various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard,
exemplary settings include hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools,
prisons, dormitories or any other building or collection of
buildings where it is desirable to filter water or other fluids
prior to use or consumption by users.
As known to those skilled in the art, the showerhead 101 is
operated by a valve (not shown) that, when opened, enables the flow
of water from a water source (not shown) through a dispensing cap
103 of the showerhead 101 in an outward direction. The showerhead
101 includes a filter 102 that effectively blocks a substantial
majority or all of the contaminants in the water from being
dispensed through the dispensing cap 103. The dispensing cap 103 is
removable (e.g., by twist off threads) in order to provide access
to the inside to the showerhead 101 such that the filter 102 may be
inserted and removed at leisure. Over time, the filter 102 requires
routine disinfection or possibly even replacement due to the
continuous collection of contaminants by the filter 102. With this
in mind, an embodiment of the present invention involves recording
each performed maintenance of the filter 102 during which the
filter 102 is disinfected, replaced or otherwise serviced.
To accomplish such recordation, a unique identifier (ID) label 104
is affixed to the filter 102. The unique ID label 104 represents a
unique filter ID that uniquely identifies the filter 102 relative
to a plurality of other serviceable filters within the environment
100. In accordance with another embodiment, a unique ID label 104
is also affixed to the showerhead 101, in which case the label 104
affixed to the filter 102 uniquely identifies the filter 102 within
the environment 100 whereas the label 104 affixed to the showerhead
101 uniquely identifies the showerhead 101 (also referred to as
"host," and thus this unique identification is referred to herein
as "unique host ID") relative to a plurality of other showerheads
within the environment 100. In yet another embodiment, only the
showerhead 101 includes the unique ID label 104, and in this case
the unique ID label 104 may represent either the unique host ID or
the unique filter ID. For illustration purposes, the unique ID
label 104 is hereinafter described as being affixed to and uniquely
identifying the filter 102, and thus represents a "unique filter
ID." The unique ID label 104 may take any form, but in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment, is described as a waterproof bar code
label.
Turning now to FIG. 2, a system 200 for tracking maintenance of
filters 102 in the environment 100 of FIG. 1 is shown in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention. Again, while only a
single filter 102 is shown for illustration purposes, it should be
appreciated that the tracking system 200 is preferably operable to
track maintenance of any number of filters 102 for use in
recordation and analysis as described in more detail below.
The tracking system 200 includes an ID reader 106 and a local
computer 112, which are communicatively connected together by a
data communication link 110. A monitor 114 and a user interface
device, such as, for example, a keyboard 116, collectively provide
users with the ability to interact with the local computer 112. The
ID reader 106 is shown for exemplary purposes as a bar code reader
in the form of a handheld computing system, e.g., a personal
digital assistant (PDA), having a display device 107. It should be
appreciated that the ID reader 106 may take any form known to those
skilled in the art for reading or scanning information from a label
or other identifying means (e.g., Radio Frequency Identification
tag, microchip, etc.) and archiving that information to memory. For
example, the ID reader 106 is shown in FIG. 2 as operable to read
the unique filter ID represented as a bar code on the ID label 104
of the filter 102 and store this unique filter ID in combination
with a time reference corresponding to a calendar date and/or time
that the unique filter ID was read. As described below in
connection with FIG. 5, the ID reader 106 is also operable to store
the detected unique filter ID and the time reference in association
with information (e.g., host ID) identifying the showerhead 101 as
being a specific showerhead 101 of a plurality of showerheads
within the environment 100.
In an embodiment, this information is stored in memory of the ID
reader 106 in the form of a data structure, an exemplary
representation of which is shown below in Table 1. The data
structure represents a data file to which information used to track
service of filters 102 is written in response to detection of each
unique filter ID. In an embodiment, the data structure is
re-writeable, i.e., as the unique filter ID for a particular filter
102 is read, an entry record is either created in the data
structure for that unique filter ID or, if an entry record already
exists, then the previously-stored time reference and the host ID
(if any) are written over with currently-determined time reference
and host ID (if any).
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Unique ID Unique ID Entry Records (Filter)
(Host) Date Time 1 50150E6730 A-1 Jan. 18, 2005 07:30:45 2
50151E1342 A-2 Jan. 18, 2005 07:31:20 3 50151B2509 A-3 Jan. 18,
2005 07:31:40 4 50151D2D24 A-4 Jan. 18, 2005 07:32:10 5 50151A2452
B-1 Jan. 18, 2005 07:32:30
With reference to Table 1, above, this exemplary data structure is
in tabular form and includes a plurality of entry records (e.g.,
rows), each entry record having a unique filter ID read from a
unique ID label 104 on a filter 102 (or alternatively, showerhead
101) in the environment 100 as well as a time reference documenting
the calendar date and/or time that each unique filter ID was read.
In an embodiment, each entry record also includes a "host ID"
representing the showerhead 101 from which each unique filter ID
was read. Such a host ID may represent, for example, a room number
of a hotel room in which the showerhead 101 is maintained. In
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the host ID
is read by the ID scanner 106 from an ID label 104 affixed to the
showerhead 101. Alternatively, the host ID may be manually entered
into the ID reader 106 by the field service person maintaining the
associated filter 102.
In addition to data retrieval and archiving functionality, the ID
reader 106 is also operable to upload any information stored in its
memory to the local computer 112 by way of the communication link
110. In accordance with various embodiments, the communication link
110 may be any known wire-based or wireless medium, but for
exemplary purposes is shown as a wireless medium. As such, the ID
reader 106 includes a wireless interface port 108 through which
information is transmitted to the local computer 112.
The local computer 112 stores any information received from the ID
reader 106 to memory for future analysis or reporting, as described
in more detail in connection with FIGS. 3-6. As such, an embodiment
of the present invention involves the local computer 112 receiving
the information collected by the ID reader 106 in the form of a
data structure, which is then archived by the local computer 112 to
memory. Alternatively, however, the local computer 112 may receive
collected information from the ID reader 106 either in native or
data structure format and, in turn, create or populate a
pre-existing data structure with the collected information.
Regardless of the implementation, the information includes one or
more detected unique filter ID's in association with at least a
time reference indicative of a calendar date and/or time during
which each unique filter ID is detected and, in an embodiment, also
includes a host ID representing the specific showerhead 101
associated with each detected unique filter ID.
In operation, the ID reader 106 is used by a field service person
to scan the ID label 104 to read the associated unique filter ID
after the filter 102 has been serviced in some fashion. The term
"serviced" is used broadly throughout this description to refer to
any type of maintenance that may possibly be performed with respect
to the filter 102 including, without limitation, cleaning,
sanitizing, disinfecting and exchange of the filter 102 for a new
filter, in which case the ID label 104 affixed to the new filter is
read by the ID reader 106.
The calendar date and/or time (referred to herein as "time
reference") at which the unique filter ID is read from the scanned
ID label 104 is stored in memory of the ID reader 106 in
association with the unique filter ID, as shown above in the
exemplary data structure of Table 1. In accordance with an
embodiment, the field service person then either scans the ID label
104 affixed to the associated showerhead 101 to retrieve
information (e.g., host ID) uniquely identifying that showerhead
101 or manually inputs this information into the ID reader 106.
After the unique filter ID is stored in association with a time
reference in the ID reader 106, the field service person may take
one of several actions regardless of whether the host ID is
collected along with the unique filter ID and time reference. These
actions are as follows: (1) continue to another showerhead 101 and
repeat maintenance and recordation processes; (2) upload the
collected information to the local computer 112 alone or in
combination with previously detected unique filter ID's from other
filters 102 in the environment 100 for storage and/or future
maintenance tracking analysis; (3) request that the ID reader 106
perform maintenance tracking analysis; or (4) power down the ID
reader 106 altogether.
If the field service person continues to another showerhead 101 for
maintenance, the ID reader 106 is used in similar fashion to read
the associated unique filter ID and store this ID in association
with a corresponding time reference. Ultimately, the field service
person will power down, upload the information to the local
computer 112 or request some form of maintenance tracking analysis
by the ID reader 106. Powering down simply turns off the ID reader
106 such that no further unique filter ID's may be read until the
device is powered on again. Thus, ultimately, the field service
person will either (1) upload the information to the local computer
112 for storage and/or future maintenance tracking analysis; or (2)
request maintenance tracking analysis by the ID reader 106.
Exemplary forms of maintenance tracking include analyzing the
detected unique filter ID's and associated time references to
render a report 109 that illustrates maintenance characteristics
for the filters 102 as well as which filters 102 may be overdue for
maintenance. If the analysis is performed on the ID Reader 106, the
report 109 is preferably output to the display screen 107, whereas
if this analysis is performed on the local computer 112, the report
109 is either output on the monitor 114 or as a hard copy report,
as shown in exemplary fashion in FIG. 2.
As described in greater detail in connection with FIG. 6, the local
computer 112 may also serve as an automatic notification system for
notifying field service persons that the maintenance for a
particular filter 102 is overdue. To accomplish this, the local
computer 112 routinely analyzes the time references stored in
association with each recorded unique filter ID in order to
identify if the most recent, previous time reference for any
particular filter 102 occurred prior to a determined target time
reference. The local computer 112 then issues a notification to one
or more responsible field service persons identifying the filter(s)
102 (if any) for which maintenance is overdue. Such automatic
notification may be administered any number of ways. One such
example involves the local computer 112 electronically notifying a
responsible field service person by email, fax, pager, phone or by
sending an alarm message to the ID reader 106 for display on the
display screen 107. Such notification may additionally or
alternatively be displayed to the user of the local computer 112
through the monitor 114 in response to start-up of the local
computer 112. Even further, such notification may be administered
by the local computer 112 automatically printing out the report 109
rather than waiting for a request by the field service person.
With reference now to FIG. 3, a distributed system 300 for tracking
maintenance of filters 102 at a plurality of environments 301 and
302 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. While only two environments 301 and 302 are shown in
order to clearly and concisely illustrate the distributed system
300, any number of environments are contemplated within the scope
of the present invention. For illustrative purposes, the
environments 301 and 302 are described herein to each embody
substantially the same environment 100 described in connection with
FIGS. 1 and 2. As such, each environment 301 and 302 includes a
plurality of serviceable filters 102, each having an ID label 104,
and a tracking system (e.g., 200), which includes as described
above, an ID reader 106 and a local computer 112, both of which
function as described above. In addition, the distributed system
300 includes a plurality of local communication devices 118, one
for each environment 301 and 302, a server computer 306, a database
308, a client computer 310 and a communications network 304.
The communication devices 118 are co-located at the environments
301 and 302 with the host computers 112 and are operable to
transmit information stored on the host computers 112 to the server
computer 306 via the communications network 304. This information
is then stored by the server computer 306 to the database 308. In
operation, the server computer 306 accesses the database 308 to
retrieve data embodying unique filter ID's and corresponding time
references detected at one or more of the environments 301 and/or
302 for analysis. Based on this analysis, the server computer 306
issues a report 109 that characterizes maintenance of the evaluated
filters 102, including, as noted above, notification that
maintenance of a particular filter 102 is overdue.
In addition to the maintenance characteristics and overdue
notifications described above in connection with FIG. 2, the report
109 may also include comparisons between maintenance practices at
the different environments 301 and 302. To accomplish this, the
server computer 306 takes into account the specific environment
(e.g., 301 and 302) from which the unique ID's are received while
analyzing the received data. Thus, in this network embodiment, the
report 109 may illustrate not only maintenance characteristics on a
per-filter basis, but also on a per-environment basis. For example,
the report 109 may show that showerheads 101 in the first
environment 301 as a whole are serviced twice as much as the
showerheads 101 in the second environment 302, thereby indicating a
higher degree of contamination at the first environment 301.
A client computer 310, e.g., a thick or thin client, may be
communicatively connected to the server computer 306 for providing
remote access to the server computer 306. Thus, the client computer
310 is operable to remotely request generation of the report 109.
In this regard, the maintenance tracking analysis described above
may be implemented on either the server computer 306 in response to
request by the client computer 310, or alternatively, by the client
computer 310 in receipt of unique filter ID's and time references
transmitted thereto by the server computer 306.
The communications device 118 can also receive information via the
communications network 304 to provide a feedback loop to the local
computer 112 and the ID reader 102. For example, such information
may embody the report 109 or automatic notification that
maintenance on a filter 102 is overdue. This capability facilitates
the management of multiple, geographically dispersed environments
(e.g., 301 and 302).
FIG. 4 depicts a computing system 400 capable of executing a
program product embodiment of the present invention. One operating
environment in which the present invention is potentially useful
encompasses the computing system 400, such as, for example, the ID
reader 102, the local computer 112 or a remote computer (e.g.,
server computer 306) to which information maintained on the local
computer 112 may be uploaded. In such a system, data and program
files may be input to the computing system 400, which reads the
files and executes the programs therein. Some of the elements of a
computing system 400 are shown in FIG. 4 wherein a controller,
illustrated as a processor 401, is shown having an input/output
(I/O) section 402, a microprocessor, or Central Processing Unit
(CPU) 403, and a memory section 404. The present invention is
optionally implemented in software or firmware modules loaded in
memory 404 and/or stored on a solid state, non-volatile memory
device 413, a configured CD-ROM 408 or a disk storage unit 409. As
such, the computing system 400 is used as a "special-purpose"
machine for implementing the present invention.
The I/O section 402 is connected to a user input module 405, a
display unit 406 (e.g., monitor 114) and one or more program
storage devices, such as, without limitation, the solid state,
non-volatile memory device 413, the disk storage unit 409, and the
disk drive unit 407. In FIG. 4, the user input module 405 is shown
as a keyboard (e.g., keyboard 116) for illustration purposes, but
as noted above, may also be any other type of apparatus (e.g.,
mouse, joystick, track ball, etc.) for inputting commands into the
processor 401. The solid state, non-volatile memory device 413 is
an embedded memory device for storing instructions and commands in
a form readable by the CPU 403. In accordance with various
embodiments, the solid state, non-volatile memory device 413 may be
Read-Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM),
Electrically-Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a Flash Memory or
a Programmable ROM, or any other form of solid state, non-volatile
memory. In accordance with one embodiment, the disk drive unit 407
is a CD-ROM driver unit capable of reading the CD-ROM medium 408,
which typically contains programs 410 and data. Computer program
products containing mechanisms to effectuate the systems and
methods in accordance with the present invention may reside in the
memory section 404, the solid state, non-volatile memory device
413, the disk storage unit 409 or the CD-ROM medium 408.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment, the disk drive unit
407 may be replaced or supplemented by a floppy drive unit, a tape
drive unit, or other storage medium drive unit. A network adapter
411 is capable of connecting the computing system 400 to a network
of remote computers via a network link 412. Examples of such
systems include SPARC systems offered by Sun Microsystems, Inc.,
personal computers offered by IBM Corporation and by other
manufacturers of IBM-compatible personal computers, and other
systems running a UNIX-based or other operating system. A remote
computer may be a desktop computer, a server, a router, a network
PC (personal computer), a peer device or other common network node,
and typically includes many or all of the elements described above
relative to the computing system 400. Logical connections may
include a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).
Such networking environments are commonplace in offices,
enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet.
In accordance with a program product embodiment of the present
invention, software instructions stored on the solid state,
non-volatile memory device 413, the disk storage unit 409, or the
CD-ROM 408 are executed by the CPU 403. In this embodiment, these
instructions may be directed toward any one or more of the
following tasks: reading ID labels 104 to detect unique filter ID's
represented thereon, determining time references during which
unique filter ID's are detected, analyzing time references to
determine whether maintenance on a filter 102 is overdue, analyzing
the detected unique filter ID's, time references and/or collected
host ID's to generate a report 109. Data is stored in the memory
section 404, or on the solid state, non-volatile memory device 413,
the disk storage unit 409, the disk drive unit 407 or other storage
medium units coupled to the system 400.
In accordance with one embodiment, the computing system 400 further
comprises an operating system and usually one or more application
programs. Such an embodiment is familiar to those of ordinary skill
in the art. The operating system comprises a set of programs that
control operations of the computing system 400 and allocation of
resources. The set of programs, inclusive of certain utility
programs, also provide a graphical user interface to the user. An
application program is software that runs on top of the operating
system software and uses computer resources made available through
the operating system to perform application specific tasks desired
by the user. In accordance with an embodiment, the operating system
employs a graphical user interface, wherein the display output of
an application program is presented through the graphical user
interface on the display 406. The operating system is operable to
multitask, i.e., execute computing tasks in multiple threads, and
thus may be any of the following: Microsoft Corporation's "WINDOWS
95," "WINDOWS CE," "WINDOWS 98," "WINDOWS 4000" or "WINDOWS NT"
operating systems, IBM's OS/2 WARP, Apple's MACINTOSH OSX operating
system, Linux, UNIX, etc.
In accordance with the practices of persons skilled in the art of
computer programming, the present invention is described below with
reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations that
are performed by the computing system 400, i.e., the ID reader 102,
the local computer 112 or a remote computer (e.g., server computer
306) communicatively coupled thereto, unless indicated otherwise.
Such acts and operations are sometimes referred to as being
computer-executed. It will be appreciated that the acts and
symbolically represented operations include the manipulations by
the CPU 403 of electrical signals representing data bits causing a
transformation or reduction of the electrical signal
representation, and the maintenance of data bits at memory
locations in the memory 404, the solid state, non-volatile memory
device 413, the configured CD-ROM 408 or the storage unit 409 to
thereby reconfigure or otherwise alter the operation of the
computing system 400, as well as other processing signals. The
memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical
locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, or optical
properties corresponding to the data bits.
The logical operations of the various embodiments of the present
invention are implemented either manually and/or (1) as a sequence
of computer-implemented steps running on a computing system, e.g.,
the ID reader 102, the local computer 112 or the server computer
306, and/or (2) as interconnected machine modules within the
computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice
dependent on the performance requirements of the computing system
implementing the invention. Accordingly, the logical operations
making up the embodiments of the present invention described herein
are referred to alternatively as operations, acts, steps or
modules. It will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these
operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented
in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any
combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of
the present invention as recited within the claims attached
hereto.
With the computing environment in mind, FIG. 5 illustrates
operational characteristics of a process 500 for tracking
maintenance of filters 102 in the environment of FIG. 1 in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As such,
each filter 102 being tracked is associated with a unique ID
embodied on a unique ID label 104 affixed to the filters 102. The
tracking process 500 shown in FIG. 5 is described as being
practiced using components embodied in the local tracking system
200 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention. In this regard, the local tracking system 200 described
in FIG. 2 is operable to practice the tracking process 500, and
thus, the logical operations of the tracking process 500 are
described herein as being performed by the ID Reader 106 for
illustrative purposes.
In an embodiment, the tracking process 500 is performed using an
operation flow beginning with a start operation 502 and ending with
a terminate operation 512. The start operation 502 is initiated in
response to a field service person activating the ID reader 106 to
record the maintenance of a filter 102. From the start operation
502, the operation flow passes to a scan operation 504. In the scan
operation 504, the field service person is scanning the ID label
104 on the filter 102 using the ID reader 106, and as a result, the
ID reader 106 reads the unique ID for the serviced filter 102 and
thereafter stores the unique filter ID to local memory on the ID
reader 106. After the detected unique filter ID is stored to local
memory, the operation flow then passes to a first associate
operation 506.
The first associate operation 506 associates the detected unique
filter ID with a time reference indicative of a calendar date
and/or time that the ID label 104 was read by the scan operation
504. In an embodiment, this association is made by storing the
detected unique filter ID as an entry record (e.g., row) in a data
structure in the local memory in combination with the associated
time reference. From the first associate operation 506, an
embodiment of the present invention involves the operation flow
passing to a second associate operation 508. The second associate
operation 508 is optional, and as such, the operation flow may
by-pass the second associate operation 508 and proceed directly to
a query operation 509, which is described in more detail below.
If practiced, the second associate operation 508 associates the
detected unique filter ID with a host ID corresponding to the
showerhead 101 in which the filter 102 is used. Like the first
associate operation 506, such an association may be made by storing
the host ID in combination with the detected unique filter ID and
the time reference in the appropriate entry record (e.g., row) of
the data structure, as shown in Table 1, above. Also, in accordance
with alternative embodiments of the present invention, the host ID
may be entered into this data structure either by scanning the ID
label 104 affixed to the associated showerhead 101 to retrieve the
host ID represented thereon or by the field service person manually
inputting this information into the ID reader 106. From the second
associate operation 508, the operation flow passes to a query
operation 509.
The query operation 509 determines whether the field service person
has requested to upload the data structure having the entries
corresponding to the detected unique filter ID's to the local
computer 112, and if so, passes the operation flow to an upload
operation 510. Otherwise, the operation flow concludes at the
terminate operation 512 and the data structure is maintained on the
ID reader 106 for future scanning, analysis and/or upload, as
described above.
The upload operation 510 uploads the detected unique filter ID,
associated time reference and host ID (if any) to the local
computer 112 for storage. In an embodiment, the upload operation
510 is administered after the field service person has serviced a
plurality of filters 102. In this embodiment, the data structure,
which may include any number of associated unique filter ID's, time
references and host ID's (if any), embodies the information
uploaded by the upload operation 510 to the local computer 112.
Once stored on the local computer 112, the data structure may be
analyzed to characterize maintenance of the various filters 102
from which the detected unique filter ID's were read. From the
upload operation 510, the operation flow concludes at the terminate
operation 512.
As noted above, the local computer 112 may be connected by a
communications network 304 to a server computer 306 within a
distributed computing system 300. As such, another upload operation
(not shown) may be administered wherein the data structure having
entry records for all detected unique filter ID's and associated
time references is uploaded to the server computer 306 for storage
in the database 308. In this embodiment, the server computer 306 is
therefore operable to analyze the data structure to characterize
maintenance of the various filters 102 being tracked within
multiple environments.
Turning now to FIG. 6, a process 600 for managing maintenance of
filters in the environment of FIG. 1 is shown in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the management
process 600 includes operational characteristics for analyzing the
data structure compiled by the tracking process 500 to determine
whether maintenance for a particular filter 102 is overdue. As
such, the management process 600 may be practiced on the ID reader
106, the local computer 112 or the server computer 306, and
optionally on the client computer 310, in accordance with various
embodiments of the present invention.
The management process 600 is performed using an operation flow
beginning with a start operation 602 and concluding with a
terminate operation 620. The start operation 602 is initiated in
response to a request to analyze the maintenance characteristics
relative to filters 102 within at least one environment (e.g., 301
and 302). Such a request may either be entered by a user (e.g.,
requesting generation of the report 109) or periodically initiated
(in automatic fashion) by either the ID reader 106, the local
computer 112 or the server computer 306.
From the start operation 602, the operation flow passes to a define
target operation 604. The define target operation 604 defines a
target time reference that, relative to the current calendar date
and/or time, represents the maximum desired interval that a filter
102 may go without being serviced. As such, this maximum desired
interval is commonly referred to as a "service interval." The
target time reference is preferably in calendar date and/or time
format for later comparison and analysis against time references in
the data structure. From the define target operation 604, the
operation flow passes to a traverse operation 606.
The traverse operation 606 begins traversing the entry records in
the data structure (e.g., Table 1) and the operation flow passes
immediately to the read entry operation 608. The read entry
operation 608 reads each entry record encountered while traversing
the data structure to determine the time reference currently stored
for each unique filter ID in the data structure, and in response to
reading an entry record, passes the operation flow to a first query
operation 610. The first query operation 610 analyzes the entry
record to determine whether the time reference contained in the
record specifies a point in time prior to the target time
reference. If so, the operation flow may pass to either one of two
alternative operations (hence, the "yes" branch from the first
query operation 610 is shown in dashed lines): a mark entry
operation 612 or an issue notification operation 614. Otherwise,
the operation flow passes to a second query operation 616, which is
described in more detail below.
The mark entry operation 612 marks the entry record with a special
notation that maintenance is overdue for the filter 102 associated
with the unique filter ID specified in the read entry record.
Therefore, any reports 109 generated based on the data structure
reflect this overdue notice. In contrast, the issue notification
operation 614 automatically issues a notification to a responsible
field service person that such maintenance is overdue. Such
notification may be implemented by any conventional means, such as
the electronic notification illustrations described above in
connection with FIG. 2. From both the mark entry operation 612 and
the issue notification operation 614, the operation flow passes to
the second query operation 616.
The second query operation 616 determines whether all entry records
in the data structure have been evaluated against the target time
reference by the first query operation 610. If so, the operation
flow passes to a generate report operation 618. Otherwise, the
operation flow passes back to the read entry operation 608 and
continues as described above.
The generate report operation 618 generates the report 109 that
characterizes maintenance of each filter 102 for which the read
operation 608 read the unique filter ID while traversing the data
structure. If the management process 600 is performed by the ID
reader 106, the report 109 is preferably presented to a user
through the display screen 107. If the management process 600 is
performed by the local computer 112, the report 109 may be
presented to a user either through the display screen 107 on the ID
reader 106, the monitor 114 or as a hard copy output from a
printer. If the management process 600 is performed by the server
computer 306, the report 109 may be presented to a user by email or
fax, through a display screen on the client computer 310, through
the display screen 107 on the ID reader 106, the monitor 114 of the
local computer 112 or as a hard copy output from a printer. From
the generate report operation 618, the operation flow concludes at
a terminate operation 620.
It will be clear that the present invention is well adapted to
attain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent
therein. While a presently preferred embodiment has been described
for purposes of this disclosure, various changes and modifications
may be made which are well within the scope of the present
invention. For example, while the unique ID labels 104 are
described in an embodiment as being bar code labels, alterative
forms of labeling are contemplated within the scope of the present
invention. For example, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags
may be used as the unique ID labels instead of the bar code
labels.
Furthermore, while an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
is directed to managing maintenance schedules for water filters, it
should also be appreciated that the present invention applies to
any and all forms of filters through which a liquid or gas may
pass. One such embodiment involves managing a maintenance schedule
for use in maintaining beverage tap filters based on unique
identification labels affixed separately to each of the beverage
tap filters. Exemplary beverages include beer, juice, wine and soft
drinks. Even further, the present invention is applicable to track
and manage maintenance of any other type of serviceable item.
In addition, the scan operation 504 is described above with the
local memory to which detected unique filter ID's are stored being
resident on the ID reader 106. Alternatively, this local memory may
reside on the local computer 112, in which case the scan operation
504 involves communicating the detected unique filter ID to the
local computer 112 via the data communication link 110. In this
alternative embodiment, the first and second associate operations
506 and 508 are preferably practiced by the local computer 112
rather than the ID reader 106, as described above. Furthermore, in
this alternative embodiment, the query operation 509 and the upload
operation 510 are either bypassed altogether (because the
information is already maintained on the local computer 112) or
instead function to upload the detected unique filter ID's,
associated time references and host ID's (if any) to the server
computer 306 for storage and analysis.
Numerous other changes may be made which will readily suggest
themselves to those skilled in the art and which are encompassed in
the spirit of the invention disclosed and as defined in the
appended claims.
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